Satoria Bell
is unstoppable

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

Satoria Bell walked into the Northeast High School gymnasium on Jan. 30 with nothing to lose.
Two hours later, she had won it all.
The senior forward led the Vikings’ girls basketball team to a 53-51 victory over Central High School last week — deflating all the hoopla that showered on the Lancers just days earlier when they won their 100th consecutive game in the Philadelphia Public League by defeating Martin Luther King High School.
The Vikings’ win was noteworthy in another way — it moved them into first place in their division.
Actually, Bell could have been forgiven if she’d found it hard to rejoice during this moment of glory. Just the day before, on Jan. 29, a grease fire destroyed Bell’s home near Large Street and Unruh Avenue in Oxford Circle. The fire accidentally ignited after Bell’s 15-year-old foster sister turned on the stove but soon fell asleep. A greased pan caught fire and the flames spread quickly to a nearby microwave, causing it to explode, Bell explained.
"I was actually here at the time," said Bell, who was practicing with her Viking teammates when she received the awful news. "Nobody was home except for my foster sister. When they put the fire out, all of the water just drained down to the basement."
Bell said her sister escaped without injury. However, all of her possessions — most of which were in the watery basement — were destroyed.
Well, almost all of her possessions.
Her jersey, adorned by the Vikings logo in bright red letters, was in good shape.
"I’m so happy I still have it. I could wear this every day!" Bell said with a smile.
That won’t be necessary. The Northeast community showed their kindness to the student athlete and her family. Northeast coach Rich Kirk and principal Linda Carroll took Bell shopping for new clothes. Also, during halftime of last week’s big victory, Northeast faculty members circulated a collection jar to help Bell’s family.
"With the fire and everything, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to play," said Bell, who has averaged 17 points a game this year, helping the Vikings go undefeated in league play. "But once I got into school and saw my teammates and everything, everyone got me in the mood to play. I knew I couldn’t let my team down."
Both Central and Northeast showed up for their final regular-season battle last week with undefeated records. Bell came through big time, with 15 points and 12 steals in the game.
"I was worried with everything that happened to Satoria," said Kirk. "We were up in the room talking about everything. I just told her you have to turn that animosity and everything else — all the stuff that went wrong — and turn it into the game."
That advice apparently sounded good to Bell. She shot 6 for 10, including a three-pointer, and went 2 for 4 from the foul line. She shared the spotlight with her cousin, sophomore point guard Janaiah Elum, who had five assists and 10 points, including a dramatic three-pointer with 22 seconds left to deliver the victory for Northeast.
"I had a dream Sunday night that I hit one (three-pointer)," a gleeful Elum said after the game. "I had confidence in us. I think we’ll make it to the championship. But it’s not over yet. We still have to see Central one more time, so you never know what can happen."
On Central’s side, senior forward Jillian Barrett scored 21 points. She also had 17 rebounds and four steals.
"I hope we see these guys again," Kirk said of the Lancers. "Frank (Greco) is a great coach and a good guy and their kids work really hard."
Last year, when the two squads met during the regular season, the Lancers won the game. The Vikings were happy to see things go their way this time.
"On the back of our sweatshirts it says ‘Unfinished Business,’" said Kirk. "That was one of our goals, to knock Central off. After we lost last year, we didn’t want them to lose another game until we saw them again this year. We had a really tough schedule, but I think we improved as the season went on. So it worked out pretty good."
Central’s 100-game winning streak started in 2001, a span of excellence that earned the Lancers six consecutive Public League titles.
It couldn’t last forever, of course. Northeast saw to that.
"I feel so good!" Bell said after the victory. "We finally broke that winning streak. That’s all I was worried about."
Northeast has won 15 of its last 16 games and is ranked first in the Public League AAAA North Division.
For Satoria Bell, it was a bittersweet week. The destructive house fire had her down. The big win against Central proved to be the lift she needed.
"I knew we were going to do it this year," said Bell. "I knew this is the team to do it. We just had to play our game. It was now or never." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com